WINNIPEG, MANITOBA, CANADA — Ag Growth International’s (AGI) manufacturing facility in Olds, Alberta, Canada, marked 10 years with a no lost time incidence record with a special event and awards ceremony honoring the facility’s employees.

“Ten years with no lost time incidents is an incredible feat. I commend the Olds team, who is dedicated to manufacturing excellence, while looking out for each other and setting a high safety bar,” said Paul Householder, AGI president and chief executive officer. “At AGI our goal is that every employee – regardless of where they work or the type of environment they work in – returns home at the end of each day in the exact same working condition in which they arrived. This is a top priority, one that I personally take very seriously."

A lost time incident (LTI) refers to a non-fatal injury that results in disability or an employee missing work due to an injury. An LTI measurement is a baseline representation of a company's safety performance and the effects of those injuries on workforce productivity.

“I am very proud of the employees. It is the result of the work they do on the floor, making great choices, being observant of their surroundings, and proactively identifying and mitigating potential hazards,” said Steve Ricklefs, AGI plant manager at Olds, Alberta. “They rose to the challenge and exemplify how safety is a priority that unites our workforce, ensures safe work conditions, and creates a more supportive environment for us to succeed.”

The AGI Olds facility was first commissioned in 1998, to produce smooth wall grain bins and hopper bottoms. Today, the Olds facility manufactures AGI Westeel fuel storage tanks for agricultural and industrial applications. Tanks come in single wall or double wall configuration and can be stationary or mobile.

According to Ricklefs, this is not the first time the team has been recognized for its dedication to safety.   

“A strong safety culture began here several years ago with AGI Olds earning its COR (certificate of recognition) designation through the Manufactuing Health & Safety Association (MHSA) -- a designation that requires rigor around hazard assessments, safe operating procedures and robust modified work programs,” Ricklefs said. “This year the Steel Tank Institute presented our team with a Safety Award of Excellence for zero OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) recordable incidents in 2022 and a Safety Award of Achievement for a 10 percent reduction in the rate of OSHA total recordable incidents.”

Householder emphasized the importance of these safety milestones.  

"These important milestones demonstrate that safety, as a value, is deeply ingrained in the people and the processes that make up the AGI Olds facility," he said. “And when it achieves the level of importance that you see here in Olds, safety not only fuels AGI’s success as a global supplier of equipment for the grain, feed, fertilizer, food, and seed sectors, but it contributes to the long-term well-being of families, communities and the local business economy.”

Later this November, two other AGI manufacturing facilities will be honored for “no lost time” milestones. Among them are Nobleford, Alberta, Canada, and Joplin, Missouri, US, which will celebrate records for three-year no lost time incidence records.